Wynne says one thing, does nothing on Ring of Fire

Tuesday during her pit-stop in Sault Ste. Marie, Premier Kathleen Wynne, after being pushed by journalists, tried to claim that money for the Ring of Fire development was available, ignoring the truth: that there isn’t a single dollar for the Ring of Fire in her 2017-18 budget. 

“Wynne is up to her old tricks,” NDP Northern Development and Mines critic Michael Mantha said in question period Wednesday. “She only talked about the Ring of Fire in the Sault after being forced to, there’s no money in her budget this year, and we still haven’t seen one shovel in the ground. People can’t trust what she says anymore.”

The Wynne Liberals have a long history of empty promises when it comes to the Ring of Fire, and during question period, Mantha pushed Wynne to explain her inaction.

“She was bragging about how her budget would help the north while, at the same time, committing no money at all for the Ring of Fire,” Mantha said in the legislature.  “When will the premier learn that the people of Ontario see through her desperate political tactics? When will she start walking the walk?”

The Ring of Fire is a chromite deposit that, if developed, would create thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic development. To date, Wynne has failed to take any action to spark this development.

The Ontario NDP recognizes the economic importance of developing the Ring of Fire, particularly for northern communities, and has previously committed to providing provincial support for the project, including the transportation infrastructure required to support the development, and bring it to operational status as quickly as possible.